The Professional Women’s Hockey League finalized its latest expansion effort on Tuesday by awarding San Jose a franchise, marking the league’s first venture into California and completing a four-team growth initiative.
With 12 teams set for the upcoming fourth season, the organization has expanded dramatically from its original six franchises when it launched in June 2023. The San Jose selection brings approximately 7.6 million residents into the league’s market reach, creates a third West Coast team, and taps into a region known for supporting women’s athletics and developing young female hockey players.
The franchise will call the SAP Center home, sharing the venue with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. The city and Sharks Sports & Entertainment spearheaded the successful bid for the team.
“Between a deeply rooted hockey culture, rapidly booming women’s sports scene, and a community known for growth and innovation, San Jose offers a dynamic stage for the PWHL to expand its reach and build lasting momentum,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice president of business operations.
This announcement wraps up the league’s second wave of expansion, which started with Detroit’s addition two weeks prior, followed by Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario, one week later. These four newcomers join Seattle and Vancouver from last year’s expansion, plus the founding markets of Boston, New York, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Minnesota.
League leadership, according to Scheer, is considering restructuring into conferences or divisions. The new markets help address geographic gaps and should reduce travel distances between cities.
The Bay Area has emerged as a significant hockey market, currently ranking sixth nationally in girls’ hockey participation.
“From its humble beginnings with an NHL expansion team in 1991, San Jose is now truly a ‘hockey city,’” Sharks Sports & Entertainment president Jonathan Becher said.
The team’s identity will feature orange, blue and white colors – orange paying tribute to the Sharks, while blue and white reflect the coastal setting and sky.
San Jose’s franchise becomes the third major women’s professional sports team to establish itself in the Bay Area recently, following Bay FC in the National Women’s Soccer League in 2024 and the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA in 2025.
Bay FC achieved third place in NWSL attendance last season and attracted 40,091 spectators to Oracle Park in San Francisco, creating the league’s third-largest crowd ever.
The Valkyries reached the playoffs in their inaugural season while leading the league with over 18,000 fans per game at Chase Center. Sportico recently valued the team at $850 million, the highest in the league, following an expansion fee of $50 million paid in 2023.
The league maintains ownership of all franchises and receives private funding from Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and his wife Kimbra.
This rapid expansion reflects the anticipated boost in interest following the Milan Cortina Olympics in February, as well as preparation for an exceptionally talented draft class this year.
The 235-player prospect pool features five college players who earned Olympic gold for the United States, led by Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey, along with increasing numbers of European players transitioning to North America.
With 12 teams, including seven in the United States, the league improves its prospects for securing a national television deal. Scripps Sports appears positioned as a potential partner, having already broadcast playoff games on ION this season, reaching 126 million American homes.
